130
L. Le Dû-Blayo
Fauna and flora are landscape elements also present in 75 % of the books. Underwater landscapes are not presented as deserts; on the contrary, they are places full of
life, and the rocks are bright with colour and shapes which contribute directly to the
aesthetics of the landscapes. In this biodiversity, some themes play a predominant role
as markers in the underwater landscapes. This is the case of the Gorgons, cnidarians
living in colonies of fan-shaped polyps, often brightly coloured in red (paramuricea
clavata) and yellow. Their silhouette is easy to recognise and often appears in images
of the underwater landscapes. Fauna is often presented as fearful, even dangerous
for man. The shark of course often makes his presence felt, as Tintin finds to his cost
in his first expedition in a diving-suit to the wreck of the Unicorn (Hergé 1944). But
other animals are stars of the seas, in particular the grouper (Epinephelus marginatus)
which, in the adventures of Bob and Bobette (Vandersteen W.), becomes Prosper, the
hero whom all the divers come to visit, prefiguring the present status of the grouper
in the protected marine areas of the Mediterranean. This figure of the grouper takes
us back to JOJO, the grouper popularized by Captain Cousteau in his film “silent
world”.
The imagination is stimulated by the potential of species that scientists and fishermen continue to discover every day, and by the strangeness of underwater life,
compared to the familiarity of our countryside animals. 30 % of the book corpus
refers to fantastic animals or characters, which is quite easy to integrate into underwater landscapes. The siren of course is to be placed in this category, but she is not
a major figure, as there is a wide variety of imaginary creatures.
8.7 Conclusion: Underwater Landscapes and Societies
Underwater landscapes are frequently to be found in comic books, whatever the
genre or the times. These landscapes are accessible and varied, and can be observed
with great clarity. A close link can be detected between the exploration and dissemination of underwater landscapes and the discovery and popularization of comic
images. From this preliminary approach, there emerges a parallel between terrestrial
landscapes and underwater landscapes, which are shown as a sort of reverse shot.
The underwater landscapes have hills and valleys that are similar to terrestrial hills
and valleys; they are strewn with objects from the surface, they even reproduce a
submerged city. In the way the settings are drawn and the scenarios are organised,
the underwater landscapes are in constant interaction with their terrestrial counterparts. This interaction is in offset mode, causing humour, mystery, dream or fear.
Ambivalence between what is under/over the water enables the authors to create resonance between other interfaces: the real/the imaginary, animal/human, life/death,
past/future . . .
The representation of underwater landscapes in the comic book frequently refers
to the scientific discoveries which punctuated the twentieth century. Comic book
scenarios call directly on technological progress in diving, archaeological discoveries, seabed biodiversity, understanding the formation of reliefs. For the general
L. Le Dû-Blayo
Fauna and flora are landscape elements also present in 75 % of the books. Underwater landscapes are not presented as deserts; on the contrary, they are places full of
life, and the rocks are bright with colour and shapes which contribute directly to the
aesthetics of the landscapes. In this biodiversity, some themes play a predominant role
as markers in the underwater landscapes. This is the case of the Gorgons, cnidarians
living in colonies of fan-shaped polyps, often brightly coloured in red (paramuricea
clavata) and yellow. Their silhouette is easy to recognise and often appears in images
of the underwater landscapes. Fauna is often presented as fearful, even dangerous
for man. The shark of course often makes his presence felt, as Tintin finds to his cost
in his first expedition in a diving-suit to the wreck of the Unicorn (Hergé 1944). But
other animals are stars of the seas, in particular the grouper (Epinephelus marginatus)
which, in the adventures of Bob and Bobette (Vandersteen W.), becomes Prosper, the
hero whom all the divers come to visit, prefiguring the present status of the grouper
in the protected marine areas of the Mediterranean. This figure of the grouper takes
us back to JOJO, the grouper popularized by Captain Cousteau in his film “silent
world”.
The imagination is stimulated by the potential of species that scientists and fishermen continue to discover every day, and by the strangeness of underwater life,
compared to the familiarity of our countryside animals. 30 % of the book corpus
refers to fantastic animals or characters, which is quite easy to integrate into underwater landscapes. The siren of course is to be placed in this category, but she is not
a major figure, as there is a wide variety of imaginary creatures.
8.7 Conclusion: Underwater Landscapes and Societies
Underwater landscapes are frequently to be found in comic books, whatever the
genre or the times. These landscapes are accessible and varied, and can be observed
with great clarity. A close link can be detected between the exploration and dissemination of underwater landscapes and the discovery and popularization of comic
images. From this preliminary approach, there emerges a parallel between terrestrial
landscapes and underwater landscapes, which are shown as a sort of reverse shot.
The underwater landscapes have hills and valleys that are similar to terrestrial hills
and valleys; they are strewn with objects from the surface, they even reproduce a
submerged city. In the way the settings are drawn and the scenarios are organised,
the underwater landscapes are in constant interaction with their terrestrial counterparts. This interaction is in offset mode, causing humour, mystery, dream or fear.
Ambivalence between what is under/over the water enables the authors to create resonance between other interfaces: the real/the imaginary, animal/human, life/death,
past/future . . .
The representation of underwater landscapes in the comic book frequently refers
to the scientific discoveries which punctuated the twentieth century. Comic book
scenarios call directly on technological progress in diving, archaeological discoveries, seabed biodiversity, understanding the formation of reliefs. For the general